


A Pyrrhic Victory

by MyHeroSite



Series: A Pyrrhic Victory [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Cinder Dies, Fall Maiden Pyrrha Nikos, Gen, Heavy Angst, I might continue this someday, Please give me ideas in the comments, Pyrrha Nikos Lives, Ruby Dies, Survivor Guilt, but at what cost???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:35:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26710783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyHeroSite/pseuds/MyHeroSite
Summary: "Do you believe in destiny?"Those were Pyrrha's last words. Or, so she thought. Instead, a red blur appeared, and took the arrow for her.Or- Ruby takes the arrow for Pyrrha, and Pyrrha survives, then kills Cinder and becomes the Fall Maiden. How would this outcome haved changed the story?
Relationships: Everyone & Pyrrha Nikos, Everyone & Ruby Rose
Series: A Pyrrhic Victory [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943851
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	A Pyrrhic Victory

With one strong motion, Pyrrha flings her shield at Cinder Fall. Cinder retaliates by releasing an arrow, and sending it tearing through the round edge of her golden shield, Akouo. The arrow flies out of Akouo, and pierces her in the heel. Pyrrha collapses, and attempts to rise, but can only cry out in pain. Cinder smirks, and slowly walks over to her, as if mocking her.  
“It’s unfortunate that you were promised a power that was never truly yours.”  
Cinder lifts up Pyrrha’s chin, so she is forced to stare into her bright orange eyes.  
“But, take comfort in knowing, that I will use it in ways you never could have imagined.”  
Knowing that her next words will be the last, Pyrrha moves back, so she can stare Cinder directly in the eye.  
“Do you believe in destiny?”  
She was given her a bitter scowl in return.  
“Yes.”

Cinder took a couple steps back, and used her semblance to summon a bow with a single arrow. She angled the arrow so it pointed directly at the center of Pyrrha’s chest, and prepared to release it. She let go of the arrow. Pyrrha watched the jet black arrow speed towards her, and awaited the painful death that was mere seconds away. However, it didn’t come.  
Instead, a red blur rushed into the arrow’s path, surrounding the area with rose petals. The girl gasped as her scarlet aura flickered around her body, and Pyrrha’s eyes widened with despair.  
“What!?” Cinder exclaimed, after her plan failed.  
The girl collapsed on her knees, and that was when Pyrrha finally spoke.  
“Ruby!”  
She jumped off her knees in order to rush over to Ruby’s side, but a bright light rose out of the girl’s eyes, blinding her, and making Cinder scream in agony. The white light dimmed down, and Cinder’s arm laid in a pool of blood, while one of her eyes was completely gone. The Wyvern was also turned to stone a few yards away.  
Pyrrha looked at Ruby in amazement, but that soon faded, when the young girl fell onto her side.  
“Ruby!”  
Ruby didn’t respond. She was already gone. However, she had a small smile creasing her lips.

Cinder continued her shouting, and an arm made of grimm grew and replaced the human once Ruby tore off her body. Furious, fire spewed out of Cinder’s mouth and hands, burning the surrounding area.  
“This is not how it ends! Not now, not after everything I have done to get this far!”  
Thinking fast, Pyrrha looked around for any sort of weapon she used. The only one in sight was Ruby’s beloved scythe, Crescent Rose.  
In a ball of fury, Cinder summoned two weapons, and leapt at Pyrrha from the air. Pyrrha used her polarity semblance at the last minute, unsealing Crescent Rose, and flinging its long metal point into Cinder’s chest.  
The aura around Cinder’s Fall Maiden eyes faded away, and she stayed in place with Crescent Rose lodged into the center of her chest for a moment, before her blood leaked out onto the metal, and she died.  
All at once, the Fall Maiden power flowed into Pyrrha’s soul, infusing her with the ability to stand against what no one else could. A green aura blossomed around her pupils, and with a strong gust of wind surrounding her, she started floating.  
She then focused on summoning the Fall Maiden power, and zapped the Wyvern with a large bolt of yellow electricity, shattering it entirely. Pieces of its body fell everywhere, but Pyrrha paid it no mind. Instead, she took one final look at Ruby, the girl who saved her life.  
  
A second later, single crow flew in behind her, and a man with black hair and a crimson cape appeared on the ground, stumbling on the landing.  
“Ruby!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, rushing over to her.  
He nearly fell a couple of times, but he eventually made it over to her.  
“Ruby?”

It did not take the man she remembered telling her was named Qrow much time to realize the tragedy that took place. Pyrrha heard the man’s sobs, and tried to hold back her own tears. Her newfound power began to fade and soon, she was on her knees, completely teary-eyed.  
There was nothing but crying for a single moment. Then, Qrow turned his head, glaring at her, while his crimson eyes were completely drowned in tears.  
“What happened?”  
She tried to answer, but had to swallow back a sob.  
“Answer me!”  
Startled, Pyrrha did her best to put together a coherent sentence.  
“That woman, Cinder Fall was about to kill me, but Ruby stepped in and took the blow instead. Then, there was this bright light, the grimm turned to stone, and Cinder lost an arm and an eye. She tried to attack me, but I used my semblance to make Crescent Rose kill her before she had to chance. Then, I became the Fall Maiden.”  
She completely broke down after that.  
“I’m so sorry! I never wanted any of this to happen! I was going to let Cinder kill me, but-”  
“I don’t blame you, kid. Ruby, she… she always had a heroic spirit, just like her mother. She was a true huntress.”  
Pyrrha continued to weep, and Qrow stared down at Ruby’s body.

“What now?” she eventually mustered the strength to ask.  
“Now, we continue what she started. Cinder was only the beginning. There is much more evil out there, and some of it is even more of a threat than she was. We may have lost Ruby and Ozpin, but we killed Cinder Fall and got ourselves a Fall Maiden. It might not be much, but at least we now stand a chance against what is really out there.”  
“There is worse out there than Cinder?”  
“Cinder was just a pawn. The true villain responsible for the Fall of Beacon is much more of a threat than you can possibly imagine. I’ll tell you about it, but not today. We need to get out of here, and regroup,” Qrow said, standing up and walking over to her.  
“What about my teammates? I can’t just leave them out there!”  
“I’ll go find them in my bird form in a little while. But first, is there anything you want to say to her?”  
She looked at Ruby, now resting peacefully with a smile on her face. Pyrrha rose, and stood before her comrade.  
“Hey Ruby,” she stated, before continuing. “I am so sorry it had to come to this. I shouldn’t have taken her on, yet I came here anyway, knowing full well that I was going to die and as a result, you paid the price. You should be standing here, not me. I don’t deserve it.”  
Pyrrha stayed silent for a moment. Qrow stood in the background, facing the other way and pretending he didn’t hear a thing, but Pyrrha knew he heard everything, even if he never told her.

“But, you saved me, and even though I am not happy about it, I will do my best to be thankful. To thank you for saving me, I will continue my job as a huntress in your stead. I… I wish I knew you more, before you…”  
Pyrrha couldn’t finish that sentence. In fact, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything anymore. Instead, she decided to end it.  
“Goodbye, Ruby. And, thank you, for everything.”  
Pyrrha ran away, no longer strong enough to look at Ruby’s body. She sobbed in a corner, while Qrow made his approach.  
“Hey petal. Miss me?”  
No response.  
“Look, I am sorry I couldn’t be there for you. I am a bad uncle.”  
He took a deep breath, before admitting something he kept close to himself this whole time.  
“The truth is, my semblance creates bad luck, and I cannot control it. That’s why I was hardly ever around when you were growing up. It was to keep you safe. But if I knew this was how it was going to turn out… no, I probably would’ve done the same thing, to keep this from happening any sooner. In fact, it’s probably because of my semblance that this happened at all, just like it was with your mother. At least you can be with her now.”  
He was quiet for a moment, before continuing.  
“If you see Summer, please tell her that I am sorry for what my semblance did to our family, and that I will continue to do what I can to use it against the same evil that tore us apart. I love you, Ruby. I wish we could’ve been a family longer.”  
Qrow did not get up and run away like Pyrrha did. Instead, he sat there on his knees, and started weeping. Pyrrha slowly approached him, and placed a single hand on his shoulder. He did not push her away.  
“We should go,” Pyrrha sadly suggested, after a few minutes had gone by.  
“Yeah, Let’s go.”  
  
They later arrived at the Rose-Xiao Long house in Patch. Pyrrha approached the doorstep, but Qrow pulled her aside.  
“You should probably stay outside for a while. Taiyang, he’s… he’s not going to take this well.”  
Pyrrha nodded, and stepped off to to the side where she wouldn’t be visible when the door opened. Qrow braced himself, and took a drink before knocking on the door. There were footsteps, and it opened, revealing a man with blond hair and blue eyes.  
“Qrow? What happened!? I saw that woman on the news, and Yang-”  
“Tai, we need to talk,” Qrow said, with regret all over his voice.  
Qrow entered the house, and shut the door behind him.  
Pyrrha looked around for a window in case she needed to intervene, and she found one that looked into the living room.  
“She what!?” Taiyang hollered, shattering a glass in the room.  
Pyrrha rushed over just in time, to see the pieces of glass on the floor, and the look of pain and despair all over Qrow’s face.  
“Tai-”  
“First Raven leaves, then Summer dies, now Yang loses an arm, and Ruby dies, too!?”  
“Tai, listen-”  
Taiyang formed a fist, and Qrow backed up in a defensive position. Pyrrha nearly broke through the window, but the man named Taiyang stopped his punch, and just stood there in a defeated position.  
“Why do I even bother anymore? Everyone always leaves me, regardless of what I do.”  
“Tai…”  
“Just, leave me alone.”

Then, Taiyang marched off upstairs, and a door slammed shut.  
Qrow drank more alcohol, and Pyrrha choked back a sob, collapsing onto her knees in the grass. A single fall leaf fell, and a bitter cold air brushed against her skin. This was all her fault, and there was nothing she could do to change it. For the first time in her life, Pyrrha Nikkos, the invincible girl, was helpless.  
The door opened behind her, and Qrow stepped out.  
“Hey kid-”  
She looked at him, eyes completely soaked. He gave her a sympathetic glance.  
“Come inside. Some food and a warm bath might do you some good.”  
Pyrrha nodded, and followed him into the house. Right away, she adored the small home. However, it didn’t feel right without Ruby there to greet her. She noticed a photo laying facedown, but didn’t say a word about it. Ruby was probably in it, and that would just make things worse right now.  
Instead, Pyrrha followed Qrow up the stairs, and to a bedroom door. He opened it, and let her walk inside.  
“This is our guest room. Feel free to use it as long as you plan on staying. Just, make sure not to go into the room onto the right. That room… it was Ruby’s. Yang’s is on the left. You can visit her if you want, but she might not take too kindly to you right now, since…”  
Since she let her sister die.  
“I’ll bring some food up in a little while. There are some clothes in the closet. Feel free to chance into them, if you want to get out of your armor. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”  
“Thank you.”  
“No problem.”  
Qrow pulled the door closed behind him, and Pyrrha sat on the bed, staring out the window. She saw a bird that reminded her of a raven she saw in a picture book once, but ignored it, and just watched the wind rustle the orange leaves.

A bit later, she looked into the mirror above the dresser in front of her, and saw how red her eyes were from crying. Instead of sitting around, Pyrrha removed all of her armor and changed into a simple white pajama shirt, along with some white leggings with polka dots on them. They weren’t really her style, but all she cared about at the moment was getting into something simple and comfy.  
She then walked down the hall, and stopped before Yang’s door. Pyrrha took a deep breath, and knocked a few times. She was about to turn away when no one responded, but then she heard Yang’s voice, and got a tiny bit of encouragement.

“Come in,” a non-enthusiastic voice responded.  
Pyrrha slowly opened the door, and gently closed it behind her.  
“Hi, Yang,” she said.  
She looked up at Yang. Yang was wearing an orange tank-top, and her usually well-kept blond hair looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a few days. The usual joy in her purple eyes was gone, and replaced with a neutral gaze that made that stared right into Pyrrha’s soul. She then noticed that Yang’s arm was missing, and gasped.  
“Your arm! It’s-”  
“Gone. Like Ruby. Like Blake. Like my arm. And, like everything else! Except you. You are here, while my baby sister is dead!”  
“Yang…”  
“Don’t talk to me like we are friends! It’s because of you that Ruby is gone!” Yang shouted, while her eyes blazed scarlet.  
“I’m sorry,” Pyrrha said, doing her best to hold back the tears that threatened to leak out.  
“Yeah? Well, ‘sorry’ won’t bring my sister back, so you can take your apology, and throw it out the window for all I care.”  
“Cinder Fall. I killed Cinder Fall. And, I won’t stop there. I won’t stop, until everyone responsible for what happened to Ruby, and what happened to Beacon is stopped. I know that won’t bring your sister back, but it’s all I can do. I won’t let her sacrifice be in vain. I promise,” Pyrrha said, determined.  
Yang looked up as if she was considering Pyrrha words, then scoffed, and turned away, burying her face into the pillows.  
“Do what you want. I’m staying here.”  
“Yang-”  
“I lost a part of me, Pyrrha. And, my sister is gone. I… I just can’t be the big sister Ruby knew anymore.” Yang paused for a minute, then said, “Just, leave me alone.”

Pyrrha turned away, and stood there a moment. She then took a step forward, opened the door, and ran back towards her room, going facedown into the pillows, and crying.  
Unknown to Pyrrha, Qrow approached the room with some soup and water in his hands.  
“Hey kid-”  
He saw her crying on the bed, and sighed.  
“I’ll just, uh, leave this here.”  
He left the food on top of the dresser and left, slamming the door shut tightly behind him.  
Pyrrha gained herself, after a few minutes passed. She eventually wiped her tears on some tissues, and grabbed the soup. She scooped some up with the spoon, and put it into her mouth. So warm.  
Soup was something she did not like much before, but now that she almost died, it was the best thing she ever tasted. It was because of Ruby she was alive to cherish this moment. She wished she could thank her in person.  
Pyrrha cherished her meal and then after a while, she turned the lights off, and drifted off into a deep sleep.  
Meanwhile, the raven that had been watching the house had taken flight, and soared off towards the forest. Months had passed, and Winter took over the region, leaving snow all over the land and the trees.

Yang stared out of her window at the tree where a crow sat there, staring at her. A single autumn leaf landed on the snowy ground, and the bird took off, cawing as it went.  
Pyrrha, fully equipped in her armor, walked downstairs to the door, and grabbed her new weapon on the way out. Her weapon was a crimson spear she named Rose, and it had Pyrrha’s symbol etched in the side, as a reminder. She then picked up her golden shield, Ruby, and placed it upon her back, along with her spear.

Someone knocked on the door, and Pyrrha opened it. She gasped, out-loud when she saw Jaune, Nora, and Ren standing before her. Tears began to run uncontrollably.  
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I never should have faced that woman! I-”  
Jaune wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into a deep hug. Nora and Ren joined.  
“No, I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop you. This is not your fault. It’s mine,” Jaune said.  
“No, I chose to leave! It’s because of me that Ruby is-”  
“It’s because we weren’t there that she had to save you, so Ren and I are just as responsible!” Nora blurted out, to her dismay.  
“Pyrrha, I am sorry. I failed as a teammate and as your friend,” Ren said.  
“But, it’s because I chose not to rely on my team that this happened at all. I am sorry.”  
They all sobbed in the embrace, but Pyrrha eventually pulled back.  
“But because of what happened, we can now fight back, and keep the other kingdoms from ending up like, Vale.”  
“What’s the plan, Pyrrha?” Jaune asked.  
“I think Mistral is the best place to start. I heard from Qrow that some villains may be planning to strike there next. If we work together, we may be able to stop them.”  
“It’s settled then. Onward, to Mistral!” Nora exclaimed, back to her perky self.  
“We have to go by foot, since the trains don’t go to Beacon anymore. Do we even know how to get there?” Ren brought up.  
“It’s okay, because we have a map!” Jaune said, bringing out the map. “For now, let’s just follow the path.”  
They all nodded, and started walking down the dirt path towards Mistral.

Meanwhile, an unknown female voice began speaking.  
“It’s true that a simple spark can ignite hope and breath fire into hearts of the weary. The ability to derive strength from hope is undoubtably mankind’s greatest attribute. Which is why, I will focus all of my power to to snuff it out.”  
A sense of dread covered Remnant.  
“How does it feel knowing that all of your time and effort has been for nothing? That your guardians have failed you? That everything you’ve built will be torn down before your very eyes?”  
Grimm walked all over Beacon like it was their own. Hunters and huntresses did what they could to restore it, but it was all for naught.  
“Your faith in mankind was not misplaced. And banded together, unified by a common enemy, they are a noticeable threat. But divide them, place doubt into their minds, and any semblance of power they once had will wash away.”  
Blake hopped across the buildings of Beacon, while Weiss reluctantly sat in the private jet with her father.  
“Of course, they won’t realize it at first. Like you, they will cling to their fleeting hope, their aspirations. But, this is merely the first move.”  
Pyrrha stood before Ruby’s grave which was right next to Summer’s on the cliffside. She then turned around, and walked back to where her team was, so they could continue their journey.  
“So you send your guardians, your huntsmen and huntresses. And when they fail and you turn to your smaller soul, know that you send her to the same pitiful demise.”  
A woman with hair white as the moon, and a cloak made of darkness, stood on a jagged dark cliff overlooking mass amounts of jet black crystals.  
“This is the beginning of the end, Ozpin.”  
She turned around, revealing her pale face and crimson eyes.  
“And, I can’t wait to watch you burn.”  
Her eyes glowed, and she gave a small, sinister smile.


End file.
